LRW1/LRW2/LRW3
LRW-AES Cores

General Description

Implementation of the older drafts standard IEEE P1619 required the NIST standard AES cipher in the LRW mode for encryption (AES-LRW). Note that the new drafts of the P1619 call for a different mode, XTS-AES (see our XTS cores). The LRW1 AES core is tuned for storage applications at the data rates of 3 Gbps and higher. The LRW2 family of cores covers a wide range of area / throughput combinations, allowing the designer to choose the smallest core that satisfies the desired clock/throughput requirements. All LRW cores contain the base AES core AES1 and are available for immediate licensing. LRW3 family is similar to LRW2, but supports 256-bit AES keys and no-penalty key and IV changes.

The design is fully synchronous and available in both source and netlist form.

Symbol

Key Features

Small size: LRW1 starts at 30,000 ASIC gates at throughput of 12.8 bits per clock

The cores are designed for flow-through operation, with selectable width of input and output interfaces. LRW cores support both encryption and decryption modes.

Implementation Results

Area Utilization and Performance

Representative area/resources figures are shown below.

Core

Technology

Area / Resources

Max Frequency

Throughput

LRW1

TSMC 0.13 µ LV

29,959 gates

100 MHz

1.28 Gbps

LRW1

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

60,165 gates

600 MHz

7.68 Gbps

LRW2-25.6

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

44,405 gates

100 MHz

2.56 Gbps

LRW2-64

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

84,269 gates

100 MHz

6.4 Gbps

LRW2-64

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

196,914 gates

515 MHz

33 Gbps

LRW2-128

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

150,817 gates

100 MHz

12.8 Gbps

LRW2-128

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

311,252 gates

305 MHz

39 Gbps

LRW2-128

TSMC 0.09 µ LV

399,208 gates

550 MHz

70.4 Gbps

Multiple LRW cores can be easily paralleled for throughputs of 100 Gbps and higher.

Export Permits

US Bureau of Industry and Security has assigned the export control classification number 5E002 to our AES core. The core is eligible for the license exception ENC under section 740.17(A) and (B)(1) of the export administration regulations. See the licensing basics page,
for links to US government sites and more details.